Medic

Medic is a maniacal German scientist who is capable of healing his teammates, allowing them to remain in combat significantly longer. By healing them, he also charges up his signature ability, ÜberCharge, which makes Medic and a teammate invulnerable to all damage for a few seconds. Regardless of competitive format, Medic is the core of his team; if he dies, the rest of his team will have a hard time regaining health. In the standard 6v6 format, he is a key component of his team's combo, along with the Pocket Soldier and Pocket Scout. In Highlander, the combo usually consists of Medic, Heavy, and Demoman. Thanks to his Medigun's ability to lock onto they player he is healing, Medic does not need to focus on aim, and may be picked as his team's caller. However, in higher-level play, he cannot be expected to keep track of all enemy players, making main-calling Medics less common. Medic's primary responsibilities are to keep his team alive and overhealed, time and lead pushes with his ÜberCharge, and mentally track enemy ÜberCharge. Surfing damage, effective positioning, and good aim are required for Medics at high levels of play.

6v6

Main article: Medic (6v6)

In the standard 6v6 format, each team can only have one Medic at any given moment, and with good reason.

Medic is a vital part of any 6v6 team; his ability to grant invulnerability or guaranteed critical hits to teammates is invaluable for pushes from point to point or for saving teammates. However, he is weak in combat, often making him the most targeted player by the enemy team. If a team loses their Medic they lose the ability to heal effectively, and will often be pushed back to another point or even lose the game. As Medic's ÜberCharge is often the deciding factor of a match, he will usually be protected well by the pocket Scout, who may escort Medic to a health pack if he is in danger. Medic will usually communicate his ÜberCharge percentage as well as their position to their team so they can prepare pushes and defenses, and be ready for an enemy push.

If Medic's team dies, he may be forced to use his ÜberCharge to escape - while not optimal, this is preferable to dying with a full charge; the phrase 'Pop it, don't drop it' is used to emphasize this.

In 6v6 leagues, the Vaccinator and Quick-Fix are banned. The most commonly used Medigun in this format is the stock Medigun, though the Kritzkrieg may also be used to outpace the enemy Medic and kill him before he can activate his own ÜberCharge.

Well-known 6v6 Medics include:

• hubida - (RGL)
• zilly - (RGL)
• auto - (ETF2L)
• juxta - (ETF2L)
• lau - (ozfortress)

Highlander

Main article: Medic (Highlander)

Medic has the same role as he does in 6v6; healing his teammates and using his ÜberCharge to turn the tide of a match. Unlike 6v6 games, he is usually protected by Heavy and Demoman as his bodyguards, and he tends to be more cautious and take fewer risks in order to avoid being killed by Spy and Sniper, classes not normally run in 6v6.

Weapons

Primary

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Syringe Gun				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Syringe Gun is Medic's default primary, shooting syringes, or "needles" at its target. The syringes fired are projectiles, which means that Medic will have to lead his target in order to hit them consistently. While it deals respectable damage when aimed properly, Medic's main job is to heal his teammates, not deal damage. As such, the stock Syringe Gun sees no use in serious games.
			Overdose				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Overdose is an unlockable primary that functions similarly to the stock Syringe Gun, but deals less damage than stock. When deployed, the weapon grants Medic a moderate movement speed bonus depending on his ÜberCharge meter. Out of spawn, it grants no benefit, but at full ÜberCharge, it makes Medic nearly as fast as Scout. While its utility may be situationally useful, the Overdose is outclassed by the Crusader's Crossbow, making it a rare sight in competitive games.
			Blutsauger				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Blutsauger functions near-identically to the stock Syringe Gun, but heals Medic by 3HP when he hits an enemy with the weapon. As a drawback, Medic's passive health regeneration is decreased by 2 HP/second. The weapon is typically used in casual lobbies when a Medic's team fails to protect him - in competitive games with competent players, it sees no serious use.
			Crusader's Crossbow				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Crusader's Crossbow is Medic's go-to primary. It functions like Pyro's flare guns, firing a single bolt every 1.6 seconds and reloading even when not active. At close range, the bolt deals 38 damage to enemies, which ramps up to 75 damage at long range. Shooting a teammate will heal them by 75 health at close range and ramp up to 150 health at long range, though it will not overheal. The weapon's ability to heal teammates at any range (possibly saving their life) is extremely powerful, and it is used almost exclusively in every competitive game. While it makes Medic nearly helpless when confronted by an enemy, a competent team will protect him, making its downside moot. If Medic's teammates have recently taken damage, the Crossbow's healing outclasses every Medigun, even at close range, and will build ÜberCharge as well.

Secondary

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Medi Gun				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Medi-Gun is Medic's default primary. Like most Mediguns, it heals 24-72HP per second (depending on how recently its target took damage) and will overheal them up to 150% of their max health. When healing damaged teammates, its ÜberCharge will be ready in 40 seconds, though its charge rate is cut in half for teammates already fully overhealed. Its ÜberCharge grants complete immunity from all damage for 8 seconds, though Medic and his teammate will still take knockback.
			Kritzkrieg				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Kritzkrieg's healing rate is identical to the stock Medi-gun. However, it charges its ÜberCharge 25% faster, for a minimum charge time of 32 seconds. When deployed, it grants Medic's teammates guaranteed critical hits for 8 seconds, which can shred an unprepared team. However, it grants no damage resistance - if the enemy team can react quickly, they may be able to kill Medic, bringing the charge to a halt. Due to its fast charge rate, however, the Kritzkrieg is usually used when at an Über disadvantage or on small maps, such as King of the Hill.
			Quick-Fix				Allowed	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Quick-Fix heals teammates by 33.6HP/second when in combat, and 100.8HP/second when out of combat, but can only overheal teammates to 125% of their max health. Its ÜberCharge grants immunity to knockback and slowness, triples its healing rate, and heals Medic as well, making it difficult (but not impossible) for the enemy team to kill him. If Medic's patient blast jumps or shield charges, Medic will have the same force applied to him, allowing Soldiers and Demomen to carry Medic along during rollouts. In Highlander mode, the Quick-Fix sees relatively little use, as it cannot save Medic and his teammate from more than 100 damage per second. However, when there isn't enough time build a normal ÜberCharge, or when Medic needs to deliver healing to teammates near the objective, he may equip it. In 6v6, the Quick-Fix is banned due to the relative lack of players who can kill Medic during an ÜberCharge, especially Sniper and Spy.
			Vaccinator				Banned	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Vaccinator is Medic's most unique Medigun. While it can barely overheal (66% overheal rate penalty), it charges incredibly quickly when healing damaged targets, with a minimum charge time of 24 seconds. It grants a passive 10% damage resistance to either bullets, explosives, or fire to Medic and a teammate while healing. It also charges significantly slower on overhealed teammates. Deploying its ÜberCharge consumes 25% of Medic's ÜberCharge meter and grants him and his teammate a 75% damage resistance to either bullets, explosives, or fire, as well as negating critical hits. The Vaccinator is most powerful when fighting a single enemy, especially Heavy, Demoman, Scout or Sniper, as they only have access to a single damage type. It sees little use in Highlander Mode, where the enemy team has access to bullets, explosives, and fire, forcing Medic to use multiple ÜberCharges at once and effectively reducing his ÜberCharge time from 10 seconds to 3-5 seconds. In 6v6, the weapon is banned, as the enemy team generally only has access to bullets and explosives, and the relative lack of players makes it less likely for Medic and his combo to encounter both types of damage simultaneously. This makes it incredibly difficult to deal any meaningful amount of damage to Medic or his combo.

Melee

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Bonesaw				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Bonesaw is Medic's stock melee. It provides no additional utility, and is thus never used in serious matches.
			Ubersaw				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Ubersaw is Medic's most common melee. Upon hitting an enemy, Medic gains 25% ÜberCharge, giving his team an 8-second Über advantage. A disguised Spy will provide no ÜberCharge.
			Amputator				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Amputator deals 20% less damage than the stock Bonesaw, which rarely comes into play when Medic's team protects him. When active, it heals Medic by an additional 3HP/second. When taunting, all teammates in a small radius are healed by 26-79HP/second for 4 seconds, with the heal rate depending on how recently they took damage. The taunt does not overheal, and builds ÜberCharge significantly slower than any Medigun. Additionally, Medic is helpless while taunting, making the weapon a rare sight in competitive games.
			Vita-Saw				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Vita-Saw passively reduces Medic's max health by 10 points, making him significantly more vulnerable to damage. If he hits an enemy, however, he gains an "organ," which will carry over 15% ÜberCharge to his next life - up to a max of 60% at 4 organs. If Medic has less ÜberCharge than his organ meter would save, he will retain all of his ÜberCharge. This weapon gives Medic the chance to save some or all of his ÜberCharge if he dies before using it, though the reduced survivability makes the weapon significantly less appealing in competitive games.
			Solemn Vow				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Solemn Vow swings 10% slower, but tells Medic the health and ÜberCharge of enemies he looks at, much like Spy. He can then relay this information to his team, directing them to finish off injured enemies. In Highlander, the weapon is somewhat less useful, as Spy is run full-time in this format. Additionally, attempting to gain information will often put Medic in a Sniper sightline, leading to a quick death.

See Also

• Medic (6v6)
• Medic (Highlander)